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Saturday, November 3, 2012

A Long Los Angeles Weekend: Day 3

After a Sunday full of running half marathons and exploring the Getty, I hate to admit that we were lame and passed out pretty early after dinner at the Border Grill. The good thing about that though is that we were up early and ready to seize our last day on the west coast.

One thing that was on Alex's must see list for this trip is Frank Gehry's Walt Disney Concert Hall. This was great for me too since I had actually never seen it in my previous visits to LA and-- even better-- it was a four block walk from our hotel! Normally I am not a huge fan of Gehry's work, but after seeing this place in person and experiencing it I was actually pretty impressed. We weren't able to go inside, but there's a pretty landscaped rooftop space and an outdoor amphitheater that we were able to wander around for a while. Since it was a Monday it was quiet and peaceful there so we were able to enjoy a little time outside before returning to chilly Chicago later that day.

A close up of the rose fountain: Isn't this sweet? I loved it!

We also checked out the LA Museum of Contemporary Art (a.k.a. the MOCA) across the street from the Disney Concert Hall. It was the first building that Japanese architect Arata Isozaki designed and built in the United States.

After our morning walk around downtown, we packed up our bags and headed out and about for our last few hours in L.A. Our first destination was the Mid-City area to check out the Page Museum and the La Brea Tar Pits.

At the top of the Page Museum

La Brea Tar Pits. It was hot that day so the scent of tar was extra powerful!

We saved the best (or, most interesting...) destination for last: Hollywood. Hollywood is so weird. It's like being on another planet. Creepy solicitors and people dressed in costume chasing you for photos and then for money. Times Square is weird, but Hollywood Boulevard is definitely weirder! However, it was Alex's first trip to L.A. so we had to at least stop by. Now that he's seen it though, I am pretty confident that we will avoid it on our next trip out west!

We stopped in at Lucky Devils Tavern for some burgers before venturing down Hollywood Boulevard. Lucky Devils is actually a pretty decent lunch option in Hollywood-- it's still on the Boulevard, but slightly east and removed from the walk of fame, theaters, etc. They have an excellent rosemary turkey burger-- pretty sure I had one with Kristen when I came to L.A. to visit her a few years ago too!

After lunch and on our walk down Hollywood Boulevard, we stopped for probably the greatest tourist attraction of all time (at least, in Alex's mind): Pee-Wee Herman's star on the Walk of Fame.

We caught them setting up the red carpet for the premier of the movie Wreck It Ralph.

Our L.A. trip came to an end at the world famous Grauman's Chinese Theatre. We took photos from across the street to avoid the aforementioned creepy costumed solicitors that station themselves directly in front. However, we did get to catch a quick glimpse of the celebrity footprints in front before crossing the street.

And then we were off to LAX and back to Chicago... it was a great weekend complete with warm weather and old friends. An excellent way to celebrate 1 year as Mr. and Mrs.!

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A Squared is all about life, love, and the pursuit of great food here in the fabulous city of Chicago. I love food: both cooking (it's my therapy) and trying new restaurants. You can also find me exploring Chicago, traveling, drinking wine, studying architecture, and spending time with my husband, friends & family. And I will share it all with you here.
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